We Speak College Football

Devon Dampier Does It All as Utah Wins a Holy War Classic Over BYU, 28-20

Published

50 minutes ago

November 8, 2026

Devon Dampier of Utah holds the ball after the Utes beat BYU 28-20 in the Holy War

Devon Dampier celebrates Utah's Holy War win over BYU. Photo via Utah Football.

The first Holy War with both teams ranked in the top 10 played like a rivalry game should: wild swings, a stunned home crowd, and a finish that came down to the final snap. No. 3 Utah beat No. 9 BYU 28-20 at Rice-Eccles Stadium, staying perfect at 9-0 and 6-0 in the Big 12, and the Utes can thank Devon Dampier for just about all of it.

Dampier accounted for every Utah touchdown. He completed 14 of 26 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns, both to Braden Pegan, who scored from 46 and 14 yards. Dampier also ran for 87 yards and two touchdowns, and even caught a 29 yard pass on a trick play, a stat line that captured how completely Utah leaned on its quarterback.

The game flipped twice. Utah jumped ahead 14-0, and then BYU roared back with 20 straight points to take a 20-14 lead into halftime. Bear Bachmeier threw for 272 yards on 21 of 35 passing, including a 75 yard touchdown to Legend Glasker, who finished with seven catches for 118 yards. BYU outgained Utah 391 to 328 and looked in control at the break.

The second half belonged to the Utah defense. The Utes shut BYU out over the final two quarters, retook the lead behind Dampier, and then protected it with takeaways. Bachmeier was intercepted four times, and the last two picks ended the game. Trey Reynolds intercepted a pass at the BYU 2 yard line with 4:39 left in the fourth quarter, and Nate Ritchie sealed it with an interception in the end zone with two seconds remaining.

BYU falls to 7-2 and 4-2 in the Big 12, close enough to hurt in a game it led at halftime. Utah keeps its unbeaten season and its place near the top of the playoff picture, with a rivalry win that will live in program lore for a long time.

Wake Forest Scores a School Record 77 Points in a Shutout Rout of Merrimack

Published

59 seconds ago

November 8, 2026

Royal Jones

Wake Forest players spray water in the locker room after beating Merrimack 77-0

Wake Forest celebrates in the locker room after the record 77-0 win over Merrimack. Photo via Wake Forest Football.

A backup quarterback making his first career start turned a November breather into a record book afternoon. Steele Pizzella threw for 432 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone, and No. 16 Wake Forest buried Merrimack 77-0 in Winston-Salem, setting a school scoring record and posting the program’s first shutout since 2015.

Pizzella got the start with Gio Lopez out with a knee injury, and he made the most of every snap. He finished 23 of 28 for 432 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, all before halftime, and added 63 rushing yards and a 13 yard touchdown run on seven carries for 495 yards of total offense. Wake Forest led 49-0 at the break after quarters of 20 and 29 points.

The scoring came from everywhere. Ty Clark III opened it with a 1 yard touchdown run. Pizzella threw two touchdown passes to Carlos Hernandez. Jamar Searcy added a 3 yard touchdown run, and Kam Shanks caught a 30 yard touchdown pass and later returned a punt 79 yards for a score in the third quarter. Josh Patterson closed the highlight reel with a 98 yard interception return touchdown in the fourth quarter. Wake Forest finished with 730 total yards, 546 of them through the air, and 11 touchdowns.

Merrimack never had a chance. The Warriors managed 202 yards, and quarterback AJ Hairston completed 11 of 27 passes for 80 yards with an interception. Merrimack falls to 4-6 and is now 0-5 all time against FBS opponents.

Wake Forest is 8-1 with six straight wins, and while the opponent was overmatched, a school record 77 points and a shutout say plenty about how sharp the Demon Deacons were in a spot where ranked teams often sleepwalk.